I do not own Young Justice or any of the characters.
Crashing the Mode
"He's here," Cassius said, watching as Blue Beetle flew down toward El Paso.
"Take him," Nightwing ordered.
Cassius nodded to Impulse and sent a goo hand up to catch Beetle around the legs. He began to turn, only for Impulse to reach him, disabling his thruster pack and allowing Cassius to whip Beetle into the ground. Impulse ran down the side of a building to the street and Cassius dropped into the street as Batgirl stepped out of a back alley and tossed a small sleeping gas grenade onto the ground in front of Beetle. Batgirl took a step forward and a pair of staples slammed into her, pinning her to a tree. Impulse slammed into Beetle, hurling him at Cassius, who drilled a goo-covered fist into him, sending him exploding into the wall. He raised a sonic cannon, but Impulse slammed into his arm, shattering the cannon before shooting the other way and slamming a punch into him, flipping him end over end to the ground. He spun instantly, firing a single staple and pinning Impulse to a wall, only for Cassius to fling an electrified bolo at Beetle, wrapping it around him and electrocuting him for several seconds before he collapsed. Then, he stood again, breaking free just as Cassius slammed a punch into his jaw, then another, and another. He spun out of the way of a sonic blast and slashed the scarab on Beetle's back with a goo wakizashi before spinning the other way and slamming a punch into his chest, sending him crashing into the wall.
Beetle stood instantly, only for Rocket to form a barrier around him. He slammed a ball of metal into it several times before forming a sonic cannon, just in time for Zatanna to cast a spell on the force field, ricocheting his sonic blast at him over and over. It didn't hurt him, but it stopped him from breaking the shield. Cassius stepped forward, stopping in front of him and watching him calmly.
"I should thank you, Ambassador," Cassius said. "Thanks to you giving us a chance to take Beetle, you've given me a decent distraction. I'll be sure to thank you in person, once we free Jaime and his Scarab both from your control."
Zatanna used a second spell to free Impulse and Batgirl and Cassius extended his go, wrapping it around the force field and lifting it.
"Shall we, ladies?" Cassius asked.
"Let's," they said as Supercycle landed off to the side.
Cassius formed himself a set of wings and flew into the air, the others following in Supercycle.
"Enjoy your advantage while you can," Beetle said. "The Reach track my every move, and when they get done there won't be enough left for a DNA identification!"
"Ambassador, if you're going to make Beetle repeat everything you say in to your microphone, you should probably learn to speak in less scientific terms," Cassius said. "Your threats are just demeaning to yourself, and are probably giving Jaime something to laugh at while he waits for us to fix him."
"Tell me our destination and I'll make your deaths painless!" Beetle ordered.
"Oh, that's easy," Cassius said. "We're taking you to a strip club. The way I figure it, you'd probably be a lot more cheerful if you got to see a set of tits for the first time in your life."
"You dare to mock me!?" Beetle demanded.
"What are you going to do about it?" Cassius asked. "Threaten me about carbon dating?"
After a few hours, they reached Bialya and blasted their way into Queen Bee's hidden abductee hangar. Soldiers readied themselves for a fight instantly and Zatanna took their guns before Impulse began to knock them out, only to crash into Devastation, the massive female criminal with black, thorned, vine tattoos on her left arm and the left side of her face. Impulse bounced off harmlessly before she caught him by the ankle.
"You got Blue, Rocket?"
"Got him," Rocket nodded.
Cassius took his goo back from the sphere and shot forward, coating his right fist in goo as he formed goo muscles again as he had against Mongol, and drilled a fist into her face, launching her away and freeing Impulse.
"Impulse, grunts," Cassius said. "The big guns are mine."
Impulse nodded and took off as Devastation began to stand, only for Cassius to slam a fist into her head knocking her out. Just as he did, Mammoth crashed into the side of the Supercycle. Cassius spun, launching himself forward and crashing into his side with both fists, sending him bouncing and crashing back along the runway toward where they'd entered. He pushed himself up, roaring, and Cassius charged instantly. Mammoth pulled a fist back just as Cassius's leg armor formed into digitigrade goo legs, doubling his speed and allowing him to slam a punch into Mammoth's face before he could react, sending him tearing along the runway and out through the exit. Cassius spun just as Batgirl kicked Shimmer into a hole Shimmer had made with her new Reach-given power to melt whatever she touched, then tossed in a polyurethane grenade to seal her in.
"You sure that won't suffocate her?" Cassius asked.
"I'm sure," Batgirl said.
"Okay then," Cassius shrugged. "No big loss if it does anyway."
"Come on," Batgirl said. "Let's get to work."
They walked to an area with an obelisk in the center of an eight-pointed star with a scarab decorating a broken wall off to one side.
"Here," Zatanna said.
"You, uh, sure you got the power for this?" Impulse asked.
"Me?" Zatanna asked. "No. But I'll summon it from those who do."
"Summon quickly," Cassius said. "Green Beetle will be here soon. Possibly with Black Beetle."
"Oh, joy," Impulse groaned. "Him again."
Zatanna began to chant, her hair and clothes blowing as if in a strong breeze. She began to float into the air, adopting a lotus pose, and Cassius turned to wait for the other two Beetles to arrive. Just as he did, Green arrived, shifting his arm into a jagged blade.
"They all die now!" Green Beetle said, flying forward, only for Cassius to form a pair of goo wakizashi and streak forward to meet him.
Their blades crashed several times rapidly before Cassius flipped into the air over a slash and slammed a kick into his head, smashing him into the ground before impulse grabbed Cassius and ran him away from Green Beetle before returning just as Batgirl's firebomb exploded, Impulse quickly running around the flames to turn it ito a ring around green Beetle.
"Ha!" Impulse laughed as he skidded to a stop beside Batgirl again. "Those Martians really can't take the heat."
"No," Batgirl agreed. "But stay alert. He has other skills to compensate."
Just then, Green Beetle rose from the floor behind the pair and raised a sonic cannon as he turned physical again, only for Cassius's combined goo hands to slam down on his back as a massive mallet bigger than Green Beetle's entire body. He retracted the arms and shot forward just as Green Beetle began to stand drilling one of his two right fists into the Beetle's back, sending him flying at Impulse, who crashed into him at max speed, sending him flying backward into Cassius's other right punch, which sent him exploding into the wall off to the side. However, the goo strand now attached to Green Beetle's chest snapped back toward Cassius instantly and brought the beetle with it, allowing Cassius to once again smash a massive goo mallet down on top of him.
He stood almost instantly, only for a small green lizard to land on his head then expand into an elephant, pinning him to the ground. Cassius slammed a football kick into Green Beetle's head and he went limp beneath Beast Boy. Then, his eyes shone red and Beast Boy crashed into Cassius, only for Bumblebee to appear in front of Green Beetle and sting him in the eyes. A moment later, Wonder Girl caught him with her lasso and held him still just in time for Tim and Cassandra to slam a pair of dropkicks into his head hurling him to the ground. Green Beetle blasted Wonder Girl and Bumblebee with a sonic cannon, hurling both, and swept it around to Beast Boy, who was able to resist. Then, Rose hurled three electric bolos at Green Beetle, who shouted in pain as he was electrocuted.
"Uh, Z, we're on the clock here," Rocket said.
"Chill, Rocket," Cassius said, punching Green Beetle down into the ground as he began to stand again. "We've got this. The Ambassador's remote controlling them. He's not a warrior, and he's definitely no Black Beetle. This is nothing."
Zatanna began to chant again, eyes shining white, and a small stone scarab began to glow at the top of the obelisk before breaking free and flying to Zatanna's forehead, sticking there. A moment later, a massive, spectral, shining, blue silhouette of an ancient Egyptian queen, or maybe goddess, formed behind her. Zatanna and the silhouette chanted together and stones began to float up from the ground as it began to shake. Green Beetle spun, stabbing Cassius, only for Cassius to smirk, smashing the blade with his fist before punching Green Beetle down into the ground again and pulling the blade out, his body filling in instantly.
"Good try," Cassius said.
All around them, the ruin began to piece itself back together rapidly and Green Beetle began to look around in confusion and shock. As it finished it formed a massive beetle carving behind Zatanna, which began to turn blue instantly. Then, the shrine began to shine the hieroglyphs on the reconstructed pillars around them shining white, and Zatanna told Rocket to let Beetle out, in backward words.
Rocket released Blue Beetle and flew away as Cassius leapt away from Green Beetle.
"Fools!" Blue Beetle shouted, forming a plasma cannon.
"You will all..." Green Beetle said, also forming one, both beetles turning to Zatanna.
"Die!" both shouted, firing just as Zatanna chanted one final time.
Impulse suddenly shot past Green Beetle, swinging him by Wonder Girl's lasso and getting him into the path of the plasma blasts, making him shout in agony as he and Blue Beetle were both hurled by the blast. Then, both landed on a shining white circle of light inside of the restored pillars, the light erupting into a column instantly and enveloping both. As the light faded, so did the silhouette behind Zatanna, the scarab falling off her forehead and shattering on the ground. Cassius walked over to the two beetles and knelt, forming a pair of goo wakizashi and holding one to each of their throats. Both groaned as they stirred, then retracted their armor. Cassius sighed standing and retracting his goo again.
"Welcome back Jaime," Cassius said. "B'arzz, nice to meet you for real."
"It...It worked!" Jaime said. "I'm free of the Reach! For real this time!"
"You're one hundred percent sure?" Batgirl asked. "Because we've been through this before."
"I'm certain of it," Zatanna said.
"Reading no external signals since Zatanna worked her mojo," Tim reported, staring at his wrist computer's holographic screen. "Neither Beetle is in contact with the Reach."
"Hey!" Impulse said grinning widely. "Hermano! Congrats!"
"Thank you!" Jaime said, hugging Zatanna. "Oh, right, like you're happy about this."
"What?" Impulse asked. "I am!"
"You know that?" Jamie smiled. "I believe you."
"Of course!" Impulse grinned, raising a hand. "Up high!"
Jaime gave him a high five and Cassius sighed, looking toward the exit. They were still in for a visit from Black Beetle.
"It has been so long," B'arzz said. "I had all but forgotten the sensation of controlling my own body. My gratitude knows no bounds."
He did his best to smile, but in his true Martian form, it was little more than opening his mouth of pointed teeth.
"Uh, that's great, but Queen Bee's goons are waking up!" Bumblebee said.
"And Black Beetle will be here soon," Cassius said. "Time to make ourselves scarce."
The all nodded and anyone who couldn't fly began to pile into the Supercycle. Cassius formed his wings and took off, scooping up Cassandra and Rose as he flew. Both gasped in surprise before smiling and wrapping their arms around him as he left the tunnel and gained some altitude before beginning to slow for the others to catch up.
"I'm sorry," Cassius said, holding them tightly. "I'm so sorry for shutting you both out. Please forgive me. I don't want to lose you."
Both squeezed him, tucking their faces into him.
"You won't," Rose promised. "Never."
"Please," Cassandra said. "Stay."
Cassius smiled, holding them tighter. "I'm not going anywhere."
They smiled and remained that way as they flew, the others all completely ignoring them once they'd caught up, save for Tim throwing Cassandra a glance before also ignoring them.
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